Merry-go-round



y 1950 c. K. WEBB 2,513,607

MERRY-GO-ROUND Filed June 10, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. Char/es K. W266 y 4, 1950 c. K. WEBB 2,513,607

MERRY-GO-ROUND Filed June 10, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F IG. 3.

IN VEN TOR.

C bar/es K. Webb y 1950 c. K. WEBB 2,513,607

MERRY-GO-ROUND Filed June 10, 1:9 6 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 l 53 F 53 64 66 67 as 65 s7 58 g 25 .4 g "'fi I; I I I l l I l I l I F/G.4

lnvenior' Char/es K. Webb Attorney Patented July 4, 1950 UNITED ATE-2S PATENT OFFICE MERRY-GO-ROUND .c haueskrwebb, Shrveport,.La. apparition-run 10, 1946, Serial No. 675,718 24. Claims. ((1272-43) My invention relates to amusement:.devices,

:and particularly to carousels, ;=.po.pularly icalled .mernmgo-rounds.

An-object of my invention is'toaprovide-zfapowerdriven merry-go-round 'that'incorporatesa' power control located at one ormore; of thefriderfsseats offthe merry-go-round; bymeans'of whicharider may start andstop themerryego-round.

Another object of my inventionis' to providein carousel constructionsaan-over riding type of driv- .source of power for-operating the merry-goround.

Another object of myuinvention is to provide a rugged type of imerry-go-round .construction supported in a manner to'permit itto 'beusedby a single rider.

Other objects and=advantages of my invention will appear from the general description of my invention, and from a reading of 'the detailed description of amerry go-roundembodying my invention illustrated by mydrawings.

My 'merry-go-round comprises a basemember witha vertically extending shaft:on which ahori- Zontally rotatable carriage is'rotatably mounted. The rotatable carriage asshown in my drawing provides four seats for riders. It is :to be understood, however; that a greater-or lessernumber of riders seats can'be provided within the scope of my invention. The rotatable carriage is driven by means of an electric motor mounted 'on the base connectedto a drivingmechanism. The motor is designed to'be controlled by one of the riders through the means of "a 'motor control mechanism which is provided withfa Control handle conveniently located at the drivers seat. While the style of motor'con'tr'ol illustrated in my-drawings is of the mechanicaltype it iszto be borne in'mind'that other types of motor control such as electric switches may be employed within the scope of my invention. ",Th'a't'is to say, my invention envisions thebro'ad conceptv of a power driven merry-go-round which includes any. power control conveniently located at-a. riders seaton the merry-go-round. The power .lines .leadiout of an electric service, not. shown, which iSoprovided with .a master. control switch. throu'ghtthe means .of which the 'smerry goeround may :be started andstopped independently of the control handle at the rider's seat.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a power driven merry go-round embodymg my invention with aftop part'of its driving mechanismhousing broken away toshowdetails OffCOIlSjblllCtiOIl; j

Fig? 2 is an elevational view ofthe'merrwgo round "illustrated in 1, "with "a "side'part of housing broken away to Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view, partially broken, of ,a partof the merry-go-roundillustra-ted by Figure 1;

Fig. 3a is a. detail plan view of :one ofthe seats of the merry-go-round partially broken away to show the mechanism controlled therefrom;

Fig. 4 is an'enlarged broken plan viewof a part of the driving mechanism of :the illustrated merry-go-round; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken elevational view-0f the :part of the driving mechanism illustrated by Fig. 4. 7

Referring to the drawings, numeraljl'fl. designates the base member generally, whichmomprises four radially extending feet II joined to abase plate l2 bolted to the feet II by. means of bolts 3. The base plate [2 is provided with'an internally threaded, centrally .positioned boss: I 4. A vertically extending tubular mast-l5 isthreadedlyengaged with the boss M. The tubularmast i5 is internally threaded at It at its upper end. The externallythreaded:bearing member films a central vertically extending base 18. 'lnxassemblingthe bearing member I! is madeup tight in the internally threadedportion l6 of the tubular shaft I5.

The bearing member I! has itsuppersurface and its side wall surface smooth-faced .to :cooperate with bearing surfaces mentioned later on in this description. Bearing member l1 terminates in a vertically extending stud 2ll on which a removable bearing collar 2| is mounted. The bearing: collar. 2l is prevented from moving upwardlybythe stop collar 22 which istfastenedrto the stud 227 by the set screw 23. A'washerl l is placed betweenthe stop collar 22.;and the bearing collar 2| to reduce friction.

The rotatable member of the merry go roun'd hereafter referred to as the rotatable carriage is designated generally "by numeral 25. "The weight of the entire rotatable carriage zli'is'supporte'd by the carriage bearing shell 21 which revolves on the bearing-member H. I

Thelower internal peripheral bearing surface 28 of the bearing shell 21contacts the upper faced surface of the supporting bearingTFto-steady the carriage '26 when it tilts only slightlyout-of its normal horizontal plane position. The lo'wercircular, --vertica'l, bearing surface 2-9 of the bearing shell 21' prevents' the'bearing shell'il'fr'om driftingoff of thesuppo'r'ting bearing 17. The upper horizontal :bearing surface "30 andithe upper vertical bearing surface 31 7 contact "the botto'rn'and "side surfaces," respectively, of'the above mentioned bearing collar '21.

Through the means of these contaicts'the car'- riagej 26 "is prevented from tiltingout OfI'ltS horizontal plane ofrot'ation any substantial amount when the load carried by the carriage 26 is .unbalanced, such as when a single child is riding the merry-go-round. The weight of the carriage 26 rests on the peripheral shoulder 32 of. the carriage bearing shell 21;; The carriagebearing shell 27 is provided with a plurality of peripherally spaced vertically extending threaded sockets 33 in which stud bolts 31 are screwed.

peripheral shoulder 32 of the carriage bearing shell 21. This sleeve 34 helps to hold the bear ing shell 21 in its proper horizontaloperatingposition. The shouldered sleeve 34 is preferably welded to a hub plate 35 over which lies a spider plate 36. The stud bolts 31 mounted in the sockets 33v extended through the hub plate 35 and spider plate 35, together with the nuts 38, are

*usedto assemble the carriagebearing shell-'2'! with the sleeve 34, the hubplate 35, and the-spider plate 36 into a rotatably mounted supporting frame structureo n which other members of the carriage 26 may ,be mounted.

Four radially extending seat supporting arms 39 are bolted to the spider plate 36 through the means of bolts 46 and nuts 4|. The driving mechanism housing '42 hung'on the arms 39 com prises a vertical wall portion 43 and a removable cap 44. The housing 42 protectsthe motor M and other working parts of the merry-go-round from rains. The seat supporting arms 39 are extended through holes 45 in the sides of the vertical wall portion 43 of the housing 42. The removable cap 44 may be lifted'ofi easily for purposes of inspection.

The seats 46 (see Figure 3 of the drawings) are rested on the outer ends of the seat supporting arms 39. The seat '46 is prevented from turning about the arm 39 by means of'a pair of clamps 41 fastened to the under side of the seat 46 and clamped to a rod 48 extended in a horizontal direction throughsan end portion of a seat supporting arm 39. Each, of the seats 46 is provided with a pair of handle bars 49 mounted on a vertically extending member 50 which simulates a horse's head. i

A horizontally extending motor support 25 is welded to the side of the mast 5 at a position below the bearingmember I! to support the electric motor M, a motor control mechanism, and an overriding driving mechanism, designated generally by numeral 52, detailed description of which will follow. r

The carriage 26 is rotated by means of the driven pulley shell The pulley shell encloses some of the movable members described above.

The carriage 26 is rotated by meansof the motor M, whose driving shaft-S is connected to the overriding'driving gear designatedgenerally by numeral 52. The overriding driving gear 52 not only serves as a speed reducing gear but also functions as a slip clutch in that it will permit the carriage 26 to continue rotating after the motor M has been shut off.

The overriding driving gear 52 is provided with a housing 53 in which a worm gear- 54 is rotat ably mounted enmeshed with the ring gear 55, also rotatably mounted in the housing 53. The ring gear 55 is provided with a hub portion 56 through which is. drilled oil holes 5'! to supply part of the lubricant contained in the housing 53 to the bearing surfaces of the hub '56 and the.

bearing surface of the driving shaft 58 on which it is rotatably mounted.

The ring gear 55 carries a pawl stud'59 .on, which a driving pawl 66 is pivotally mounted.

spring 6| is employed to releasably hold the pawl 60 in engagement with a ratchet wheel 62. The worm gear 54 and the ratchet wheel 62 rotate together duringthe period of time the motor M f-is running. When the smotor Mstops running the ratchet wheel 62 due tothe momentum of the revolving carriage 26 runs away from the worm gear 54, and while doing so it moves the An internally shouldered sleeve 34 rests'on the I. pawl .66 against the tension of the spring 6| out of its way into the dotted line position as best shown in Figure 5.

Thehub 63 'ofthe ratchet wheel 62 is provided through a sleeve bearing 66 mounted in the housing 53. .The driving pulley 61 is'fastened to the driving shaft 58 by means of a key 68. A driving belt 69 is extended around the driving pulley 61 and the driven'pulley shell-5| mentioned earlier in this specification. I

While my drawing illustrates a mechanism employing a direct drive from motor M to the overriding driving-gear 52 in which the driving speed is reduced properly to effect a slow rotation of the carriage 26'it is .to be understood that the motor M may be arranged to drive the worm gear 54 throughan arrangement of pulleys and a belt.

In describing the individual motor control I will commence with the motor control switch v'HII as seen in Fig. 3 by means of which the ourrent supplied to the motor M may be controlled when the master switch,- not shown, is closed. The motor control; switch 10 is of the type that is sensitive enough to be operated by slight movements of its switch control arm H, which is moved by means of the bell crank lever :12 in a manner to be explained hereafter.

, The bellcrank lever 12 is pivotallyv mounted in the lever bracket 13 fastenedto the mast l5. The bell crank lever 12 is provided with a spring contacting lug 34 which is positioned to strike the tip end of; the switchcontrol arm 1|. A compression spring 15 mounted on a rod 16 which is fastened to the mast l5-is extended through a hole in an arm ofthe bell crank lever 12.

' The spring 15 is depended upon to hold the bellcrank lever 12 in the out-of-contact solid line position shown in Figure 30f the drawings. The tension of the spring 15 is adjusted by means of the adjusting nut Tl threadedly engaged on the outer end of therod 16.

e The spring 15 must be compressed to cause a movement of the bell crank lever 12 to make it contact and move the switch control arm 1| into the dotted line position, the on position of the switch 16, the position in which the electric current is conducted to the motor to set it in motion. The spring l5- must'be permitted to expand to effect a movement. of the switch 10 .to off position. Thespring 15 is permitted, to expand when the weight rod-13, and. the: plunger 19 it supports are free to move and be iiftedby the bell crank l'eyer.12.. The weight rod 18 ex: tendsloosely through the bearing member 'I 1 and. the stop collar 22. Undernor-mal inoperating conditions the spring 15' is 'in 'itsflexpanded po? sition and supports the weight of the weight" rod 18 resting on oneend of'thejbellfjcrank lever 12,.

positioned inside of the mast l5 and also supports the plunger 19.

When the weight rod 18 is pushed downwardly the bell crank lever '12 is moved about its pivot point in the lever bracket '13, overcoming the compression spring 85 to bring the switch control lug M (on the bell crank lever) into contact with the end of the switch arm 11 to affect the move ment of the same sufficiently to operate the control switch '10 into its on position.

The weight rod 18 is moved downwardly by means of a plunger 19 restin on the upper end of the weight rod 18. To the upper end of the :plunger '19 a cable 88 is joined which extends around a pulley 8i rotatably mounted on the spider plate 36 at a position below the upper end of the plunger 19 to which the cable 86 is attached. The cable 86 is extended also through a seat supporting arm 39. The outer end of the cable 851 is connected to a small bell crank lever 23% pivotally mounted in the lever bracket 82, preferably welded to the seat supporting arm 39.

A short cable 83 is connected to the other end of the lever 81 and is extended around a pulley 84 mounted on the under side of the seat 46. The short cable 85% is further extended through a hole in the seat 46 up to aspool 85 on which it is wrapped around and secured. The spool 85 is rotatably mounted on a handle bar 49.

A brief explanation now of the operation of this individual motor control mechanism will assist in the understanding of the control mechanism itself. When a child sitting on the seat MS of the merry-go-round winds the short cable 83 tighter around the spool 85 the short cable 83 ef fects a movement of the small .bell crank lever 85, which movement moves the cable 8i to the left to pull its inner end down and the plunger 19 down with it.

The downward movement of the plunger pushes the weighted rod 18 downwardly, overcoming the compression spring 15 in its movement of the bell crank lever 12 into the dotted line position. In the movement of the bell crank lever 12 into this dotted line position the switch operating lug 14 is brought into contact with the control arm H of the electric switch in to throw the switch into the on position to start the motor M running and to rotate the carriage.

As soon as the child releases his grip on the spool 85 the compression spring 15 expands and moves the bell crank lever 72, back to the solid line position, allowing the switch 1!! to throw it self back into the oil position, it being remem" bered that the compression spring '15 was set to accomplish this movement of the bell crank lever 12 by means of the spring adjusting nut ll. When the current is shut off the carriage coasts to a stop.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A merry-go-round comprising a base member, a hollow mast vertically extending from said base member, a carriage rotatably mounted on said hollow mast, said carriage provided with riders seats, an electrical driving means connected in a manner to rotate said carriage, said driving means being provided with a speed reduction gear, a control switch, adapted to be thrown into an on position or an 011 position, a control switch operating mechanism comprising a lever pivotally mounted on said hollow mast at a medial portion of the length of said lever, said lever being mounted on said mast for movement in a vertical plane, said mast provided with an aperture in its side wall through which one arm of said lever extends, said other arm of said lever being positioned to operate said control switch, a rod slidably mounted in said hollow mast, aligned to have its lower end rest on said first mentioned arm of said lever, and means controlled from the riders seat for actuating said rod for movement with respect to the arm of said lever whereby a movement of said rod effects a movement of said lever which in turn operates said control switch.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 provided with a compression spring adapted to normally hold said first mentioned arm of said lever in a substantially horizontal position in said hollow mast corresponding to said ofi position of said control switch while supporting the entire weight of said rod, said compression spring being sufliciently yieldable to allow a movement of said lever by said rod to effect a movement of said control switch into its on position.

3. A merry-go-round comprisin a base member, a hollow mast vertically extending from said base member, a carriage rotatably mounted on said mast, said carriage provided with riders seats, an electrical driving means including a speed reduction gear and an overriding clutch supported by said mast adapted to allow said carriage to rotate under its own momentum after said driving means is stopped, a control switch adapted to control said driving means, and a switch operating mechanism adapted to actuate said switch, said switch operating mechanism comprising a double-armed lever pivotally mounted at a medial portion of its length on said mast in a manner to permit it to move in a vertical plane, one arm of said lever positioned and adapted to operate said switch while its other arm is maintained in contact with a vertical slidable rod slidably mounted in said hollow mast, said rod adapted to move said lever to eifect a movement of said operating switch, a rod moving means comprisin a cable extended through a pulley located below said upper end of said rod, the end of said cable attached to said upper end of said rod, and a means for moving said cable located at said riders seat attached to the other end of said cable effected by said means for moving said cable, whereby a pull on said cable will effect a downward movement of said rod which in turn will efiect, by means of said lever, a movement of said switch.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said means for moving said cable includes a spool rotatably mounted on said seat and a second cable having one of its ends attached to the outer surface of said spool and its other end connected with the outer end of said first mentioned cable by a pivotally mounted double-armed lever, one arm of which is attached to said first mentioned cable and the second arm of which is attached to said second mentioned cable.

CHARLES K. WEBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the rile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 899,172 Levy Sept. 22, 1908 924,155 Fitch June 8, 1909 946,639 Lewis Jan. 18, 1910 1,020,084 Dunning Mar. 12, 1912 ,733 Mirano et al Dec. 15, 1914 1,235,506. Straus July 31, 1917 

